Custom Power List

[ways and means]

Plot Device Obviously Overpowered Item of Power (which doesn't have all things equal before god)


The Sword of Rupture [-66 refresh]
Obvious Item of Power +2

It is a cylindrical, drill-shaped sword engraved with crimson cuneiform lettering on three, independently rotating segments, created during the banishment of the old ones as a weapon capable of killing a God in the right hands. It was know as the sword that cut the land from the Sky and created the Horizon.

Event Horizon Strike [-60] The Sword of Rupture swallows, compresses, and accelerates wind pressure into an artificial space-time distortion capable of pulverizing any opposition before it. The effects of this distortion are catastrophic on the environment around it crushing and warping everything in the immediate area.

When the Sword of Rupture is activated it causes a 40 shift environmental hazard within a 10 zone radius of the sword. ([-40] for the environmental hazard, [-20] for the 10 zone radius)

Expanding Radius [-5]: The Radius of the temporal distortion increases by 1 zone every round that it is active, if activated long enough it could easily consume a city.   

User Immunity [-3]: The user of this blade is immune to its effects.



 

[Sanctaphrax]

I don't feel qualified to comment on the balance of 60-refresh powers, I'm afraid.

NATURAL WEAPONRY [-1]
Description: Your body contains or can produce some kind of weapon or attack.
Note: You have to pick one type of weapon (eg. fire breath, metal claws, three-foot tusks) when you take this power.
Skills Affected: Fists, Weapons, Guns
Effects:
Natural Weaponry. Your body contains a weapon with a rating of 2. This weapon has a no range, is not capable of spray attacks, benefits from Strength powers, and is wielded with the Fists skill.
Potent Weaponry [-1]. Your natural weapon has a rating of 4.
Integrated Weaponry [-1]. You may use your Weapons skill to attack, defend, maneuver, and block unarmed or with your natural weapon.
Ranged Weaponry [-1]. Your natural weapon has a range of three zone and is capable of spray attacks. It may be wielded with the Fists, Weapons, or Guns skill. It cannot be used with the defense trapping of Weapons unless you possess the Integrated Weaponry upgrade.
Area Weaponry [-1]. Your natural weapon may be used to make zonewide attacks.
Selective Weaponry [-1]. (Requires Area Weaponry) You do not harm yourself when making a zonewide attack against your own zone with your natural weapon.
Explosive Weaponry [+1]. (Requires Area Weaponry) Your natural weapon may not be used to make attacks that are not zone-wide.
Imprecise Weaponry [+1] (Requires Selective Weaponry) You suffer a -2 penalty to the accuracy of any zonewide attack that you make with your natural weapon.

[Silverblaze]

I don't mind. I do however think it should replace claws as a power.  This is a more comprehensive version of claws and then some.  I honestly like it.

[Sanctaphrax]

Thanks.

And yes, this is intended to replace both Claws and Breath Weapon.

[Silverblaze]

Excellent.  I also disagree that in the book (Your Story), you cannot take the claws power multiple times. (not adding damage, but representing other modes of natural attack)  This seems to allow someone to have horns, claws, breath weapons [magma chili farts! Skunk blasts!], bladed wings, a tail, and eye beams.... or something.  So that's good also.

One question:

Should there be a elemental clause?  What i mean is that some natural weapons will be able to use elemental effects?  Such as knockback (moving a target), causing fires, freezing things etc?  I'm not sure that it is required or that it should cost additional refresh, but ..."common sense isn't so common" otherwise we would not have rules lawyers arguing with common sense ruling by GM's etc.

Think of this post as more of a querry rather than criticism (constructive or otherwise).

[devonapple]

I also disagree that in the book (Your Story), you cannot take the claws power multiple times. (not adding damage, but representing other modes of natural attack)  This seems to allow someone to have horns, claws, breath weapons [magma chili farts! Skunk blasts!], bladed wings, a tail, and eye beams.... or something.  So that's good also.

I always took that as not needing to be that picky about the special effect of the power (though certainly more picky than the spread of effects you mentioned!).

Ultimately, you're still only making one attack that exchange. In situations in which the specific type of damage would be important, the monster would ideally have an existing Aspect reflecting their abilities which can be Invoked for the effect.

Taking advantage of a Catch requires you to invoke an Aspect, and that either comes for free once with a Declaration or Maneuver, or it has to be Invoked with a Fate Point.

If we established a special effect as automatically satisfying a Catch, for one we'd trigger a special effect escalation ("my claws are adamantium-tipped bone protuberances lit on  fire and blessed with holy water"). But if we did, then adding more special effects would possibly be something I'd only require 1 Refresh to buy.

[Sanctaphrax]

I'd let someone define their natural weapon as a whole bunch of random deadly appendages.

As for elemental effects: the description of your weapon affects the catches that it satisfies and the maneuvers that can be made with it.

Some descriptions should probably cost extra refresh, but others could be free. If you want flaming knuckles, you don't have to pay extra. If you want to pull a cold iron sword out of nowhere, you don't have to pay extra. If you want to breathe holy Soulfire, you need to pay extra.

[ways and means]

Blood Bound[-2]
Finishing each other sentences- you are your blood bound have a form of telepathy which allows you communicate without saying a word as long as you can see each other. This allows enhanced cooperation gain a +2 to any non-combat roll where having a perfectly in time partner would help.
The Call of Blood - You have an instinctive feel for where your partner is this allows you to find them anywhere in the world with enough time. In the case of an opposed roll you gain a +6 to all investigation rolls to help find your partner.

Upgrades

Perfect Battle Synergy [-1] When in the same zone as your partner you can defend them instinctively and they you, you can make defense rolls for your partner and your partner for you as a free action.
Offensive Combination [-1] When ever tagging a maneuver made by your partner gain an addition +1 to your roll. Also gain a +2 to any maneuvers to help your partners in combat.
 

     

[Sanctaphrax]

The latter half of the base power should probably just be a Supernatural Sense.

Offensive Combination is basically just two stunts.

But Perfect Battle Synergy is pretty cool.

[Sanctaphrax]

CHAOTIC FATE [-0]
Description: For whatever reason, the randomness of your life is much greater than normal. Your personal bell curve is pretty flat.
Skills Affected: All
Effects:
Chaotic Fate. All of your rolls are made with six fudge dice instead of the standard four.
Aura Of Chaos [-1]. All rolls made in your presence are made with six fudge dice instead of the standard four.

ORDERED FATE [-0]
Description: For whatever reason, the randomness of your life is much less than normal. Your personal bell curve is pretty pointy.
Skills Affected: All
Effects:
Ordered Fate. All of your rolls are made with two fudge dice instead of the standard four.
Aura Of Order [-1]. All rolls made in your presence are made with two fudge dice instead of the standard four.

CONTROLLED FATE [-1]
Description: You can control probability to a limited extent, making life more or less predictable through magical power.
Skills Affected: All.
Effects:
Fate Control. Whenever you roll, you may choose to roll any number of fudge dice between two and six.
Aura Of Control [-1]. Whenever someone in your presence rolls, you may choose to have them roll any number of fudge dice between two and six.

PROBABILITY MANIPULATION [-3]
Description: God's dice are loaded in your favour. Your luck is literally supernatural.
Skills Affected: All
Effects:
Weighting The Dice. Whenever anyone in your presence rerolls dice, you may "lock down" one of those dice. Doing so ensures that the result of that die is the same on the reroll as it was on the original roll.
Palming The Cards. Whenever you are involved in an opposed roll, you may cause your opponent to reroll by invoking an aspect.
Fixing The Wheel. You may take a point of sponsor debt instead of spending a Fate Point when invoking an aspect in order to cause a reroll. Sponsor debt taken this way represents accumulated bad luck, karmic backlash, or the build-up of paradoxes in the structure of reality.

[Sanctaphrax]

The above powers are among the most experimental powers I've ever written.

As such, they contain a lot of pure guesswork.

Opinions wanted. (Surprise!)

Do these powers represent the "feel" of magical luck and/or entropy manipulation well?

Are they balanced?

Would you use them in your games?

[Gatts]

Probability Manipulation is definitely the most interesting, and thematically it looks great for a luck based power. Balanced? I really couldn't say, it looks like something that might need play-testing just to figure out how good it is.

[Howl]

CHAOTIC FATE [-0]
Description: For whatever reason, the randomness of your life is much greater than normal. Your personal bell curve is pretty flat.
Skills Affected: All
Effects:
Chaotic Fate. All of your rolls are made with six fudge dice instead of the standard four.
Aura Of Chaos [-1]. All rolls made in your presence are made with six fudge dice instead of the standard four.

ORDERED FATE [-0]
Description: For whatever reason, the randomness of your life is much less than normal. Your personal bell curve is pretty pointy.
Skills Affected: All
Effects:
Ordered Fate. All of your rolls are made with two fudge dice instead of the standard four.
Aura Of Order [-1]. All rolls made in your presence are made with two fudge dice instead of the standard four.

CONTROLLED FATE [-1]
Description: You can control probability to a limited extent, making life more or less predictable through magical power.
Skills Affected: All.
Effects:
Fate Control. Whenever you roll, you may choose to roll any number of fudge dice between two and six.
Aura Of Control [-1]. Whenever someone in your presence rolls, you may choose to have them roll any number of fudge dice between two and six.

PROBABILITY MANIPULATION [-3]
Description: God's dice are loaded in your favour. Your luck is literally supernatural.
Skills Affected: All
Effects:
Weighting The Dice. Whenever anyone in your presence rerolls dice, you may "lock down" one of those dice. Doing so ensures that the result of that die is the same on the reroll as it was on the original roll.
Palming The Cards. Whenever you are involved in an opposed roll, you may cause your opponent to reroll by invoking an aspect.
Fixing The Wheel. You may take a point of sponsor debt instead of spending a Fate Point when invoking an aspect in order to cause a reroll. Sponsor debt taken this way represents accumulated bad luck, karmic backlash, or the build-up of paradoxes in the structure of reality.

These powers are very interesting. I like them, especially Probability Manipulation. I think they represent the feel of magical luck/entropy very well, but I can't say if they are balanced before play testing them. Rolling Six dice sounds very powerful but it can also be very bad. I just can't say without seeing how they work.

[Sanctaphrax]

Looks like you guys are in the same boat as me.

Man, I really need guinea pigs. Actually, I think I'll start a thread looking for some.

PS: I was considering having Palming The Cards work on any roll made in your presence. Would that be fair? Would it be worth an extra refresh?

[wyvern]

I'd suggest, for Chaotic Fate, instead rolling 1d6-1d6.  (If using actual dice, use two of different colors & note which one is positive before rolling.)  This gives a much flatter & thus more random-feeling distribution.  1/18 chance to get either plus or minus five - versus 6dF, where your odds of getting plus or minus five or six is a bit worse than 1/50.